The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-29

mucn as we love wife and parents ana chill
dren- Not waiting until you are dead to put
upon your graves a wreath of recognition,
this hour we put ON your living brow the
garland Of n nations praise.
o. men of the Western Gulf squadron, OF
the Eastern Gulf squadron, OF the South At
lantic squadron, of the North Atlantic squad
ron, of the Mississippi squadron. Of the Pa
cific squadron, Of the West India squadron
and Of the Potomac fiotiIla hear our thanks!
Take the benediction of our churches. Ac-
cept the hospitalities of the nation. II we
had our way we would get you not only a
pension, but a home and a princely ward
robe AMI an equpage and a banque. while
YOU live, and after your departure n cata-
falque and a mau~oleum Of sculptured
marble, with "A model of the ship in which
you won the day. It Is considered a gallant
thing when in a naval fight the flagship with
its blue ensign goes ahead up a river or into n
hay, its admiral standing in the shrouds
watching and giving orders. But | have To
tell YOU q veterans Of the American navyI
if you are as loyal % Christ as You were 10
the government there Is flagship sailing
ahead Of you Of which Christ is the admiral.
and he watches from the shrouds, aud the
heavens are the blue ensign, AMI he leads You
towards the harlsor, AMI all the broadsides OF
earth and hell canrot damage you, and We.
whose garments were once rel with your
own blood, shall have robe washed and
made white in the blood of the Lamb. Then
strike eight bells, High noon in heaven,
With such anticipation. % veterans of the
American navyl charge YOU bear up under
the aches and weaknesses that You still carry
from the war times. You are not "a stalwart
as You would have been brt for that nervous
strain AMI for that terrific exposure. Let
every ache and pain, instead Of depressing,
remind YOU Of your fidelity. The sinking of
the Weehawken OFF Morris Island. Dec. q.
1868, was mystery. She was not under
fire. The sea was not rough. But Admiral
Dahlgren from the deck of the flag steamer
Philadelphia saw her gradually sinking, AMI
finally she struck the ground, but tho flag
still noatesI above the wave in the sight of the
shipping. IL was afterwards found that she
sank from weakness through injuries in
previous service. Her plates had been
knocked loose in previo times. So you have,
ia nerve and muscle and bone and dim;ned
eyesight and difficult hearing and shortness
of breath, many intimatious that you are
gradually going down. 1t Is the service Of
twenty three years ago that is telling on You
Be of good cheer We owe YOU just ~ much
as though your life blood hal gurgIe,l through
the scuppeIs of the ship in the Red river ex-
petition or as though YOU had gone down
with the Melville or IIntteras. Only keep
your flag flying did tie illu>trIous Wee
Ina vixen.
Good cheer, my boys, The memory of man
IL poor, ami all that talk about the country
never forgetting those who fought for it is
an untruth. Ii does forget. Witness how
the veteran sometimes had TO turn the hand-
| organs the street To get their families "A
living. Witness how ruthlessly some OF
them have been turned out Of Office tina,
| some Bloat of politician might take their
place. Witness the fact that there is not a
/ man or woman now under 80 years of age
/ who has any full appreciation of the four
/ years martyrdom of 1851 to 1863 inclusive
But while men may forget. God never for
/ gets He remembers the swimming ham
mock. lie remembers the forecastle lie
/ remembers the frozen ropes of that January
/ tempest. He remembers the amputafion
without sufficient ether. He remembers the
/ horrors of that desfening night when forts
/ from 10th sides belched on you their fury
/ asd the heavens glowed with the ascending
4 and descending missiles of death, and your
ship qualsed under the recoil of the 100
| FOUNDER, while all the gunners, ac-
| cording To command, stood on tiptoe,
/ with mouth wide open, lest the conclusion
| shatter hearing or brain. He remembers il
4 all better than you remember it, and in some
| shape reward will be given. God is the lest
| of all paymasters, and for those who do their
/ whole duty to him and tbs world the pension
awarded is an everlasting heaven.
Sometimes Off the cost of England the royal
/ family have inspected the British navy,
unanswered before them for that purpose. In
| the Baltic sea the ear and cZarina have re-
viewed the Russian navy. To bring before
/ the American people the debt they To the
navy / go out with you on the Atlantic ocean,
where there l. plenty of room, and in imagina-
| ton review the shipping of our three
| great conflicts, lao, IsI2 and 1850 Swing into
line all We frigates. ironriads, fire RATS, gun
| boats and men Of war There they come all
/ sail set and all furnaces in full blast, sheaves
] Of crystal tossing from their cutting prows.
| That il the Delaware, an old evolutionary
craft, commanded hy Commodore Decatur.
| Yonder goes the Cons tuition. Commodore
| Hull commanding There is the Chesapeake,
| commanded 10y Capt. Lawrence, whose
dying words were: Don't give pthe ships"
and the Niagara. of 1872. commanded by
| Commodore Perry, who wrote on the back Of
! an old letter, resting on his navy cap: I'VE
| have met the enemy and they ours"
Yonde. is the flagship Wabash, Admiral
| Dupont commanding; yonder, the flag
ship Minnesota, Admiral Goldsborough
commanding; yoHder. the flagship Phila-
deIpha, Admiral Dahlgren command
ing; yonder, the flagship San Jacinto,
Admiral Bailey commanding; yonder, the
| flagship Black Hawk, Admiral Porter com
handing: yonder, the flag steamer Benton,
| Admiral Foo,e commanding wonder, the flag
| ship Hartford, David Glascoe Farragut COM
| mandine. AMI now all the squadrons of
| all departments, from smallest tugboat 20
| mightest man OF war, are in procession.
decks AMI rigging filed with the men
who fought OH tie ssa for the old flag ever
since we were a nation. Grandest fleet tho
world ever saw. Sail on before all agesI
Run up all the colors Ring the bellsl Yea,
open all the port holes! Unlimber the guns
| and load and fire one great broadside that
| shall shake the continents in honor Of peace
AMI the eternity of the American union!
But | lift my hand. and the scene has
| vanished. Many of the ships have dropped
| under the crystal pavement Of the deep, sea
monsters swimming in and out the forsalzen
cabin, and other old craft have swung into
the navy yards and many of the brave spirits
who trod their decks and gone up to tho
| Eternal fortress. from whose easements and
embresures may not hope they look down
to-day with joy upon a nation in reunited
brotherhood.
At this annual commemoration bethink
that most of you who were in the naval SER
vice during late now in the
afternoon or evening of life. With some of
you it il 2 O'Clock, > O'Clock, O'Clock,
o'clock, AMI it will soon lie sundown.
IL you were of age when the war broke out
| YOU are now at least -. Many OF you have
passed. INTO the sixties aud the seventies;
| therefore it Is appropriate that hold two
great lights for your illumination-the ex-
ample of Christian admirals consecrated to
| Christ and theis country-Admiral Foote and
Admiral Farragut
Had the Christian religion been a cowardly
thing they would have had nothing to do
with it. In its faith they lived and died. In
our Brooklyn navy yard Admiral Foote held
! prayer meetings and conducted revival on
the receiving ship Moth Carolina, and on